PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Academy of Wound Technology and Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI) today announced the launch of a Transcontinental Wound Registry (TWR) to be presented at the 2012 Congress of World Union of Wound Healing Societies. The registry is the first worldwide registry on wound healing and wound care technologies. It will facilitate the wound care community’s efforts to provide adequate treatment plans for all patients by identifying factors that optimize clinical and economic outcomes in wound healing and tissue repair. The project will be spearheaded by The Academy of Wound Technology, with funding provided by KCI.

“Simply stated, what works for one patient may not work for another, and the creation of a wound registry may offer a superior tool for determining which patients need which protocols for optimal care,” said Luc Téot, MD, PhD, Hôpital Lapeyronie, Montpellier, France; and president, The Academy of Wound Technology. “I believe this extensive effort will lead to the availability of more useful clinical and economic data for the medical community and regulators and will ultimately benefit patients through more precise treatment plans for their individual needs.”

Nine facilities, located in Europe, the U.S. and Asia, with expertise in wound management, will participate in a 52 week pilot phase of the program during which health care providers will evaluate the local gathering of reliable and accurate documentation of data. They will also verify the adequacy of the proposed method of on-site data entry, data transfer, data exchange and overall study monitoring.

Governments and private payers worldwide are requiring increased levels of effectiveness data for coverage and reimbursement of a variety of medical products and services. Although the Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) is still the preferred level of evidence, in some situations the RCT may present challenges in regard to wound healing and tissue repair studies due to comorbidities—including diabetes, immobility, and immune system suppression, among others—that may compromise control groups. In some instances, RCTs may also not reflect a true wound healing scenario, which is often carried out in multiple phases using a wide range of products and therapies.

Registries, conversely, exclude no patients and can be constructed to include data from all care settings. With adequate data collection, patients can be subdivided and stratified to better assess comparability on an “apples to apples” basis.

“The wound care community has long recognized a need for this type of comprehensive, comparable data to facilitate better outcomes for patients, regardless of overall health status or site of service,” said Mike Genau, global president, KCI’s Active Healing Solutions™ business unit. “The people of KCI hope that this effort will yield a more complete picture of wound healing options to empower clinicians with clearer insights into the unique treatment needs of each patient.”

The 4th Congress of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies, during which the TWR pilot phase results will be presented, will take place September 2 – 6, 2012 in Yokohama, Japan.

For more information about KCI, please visit www.kci1.com. To learn more about The Academy of Wound Technology, click on http://awt.vulnus.org/.

About The Academy of Wound Technology

The Academy of Wound Technology was founded in 2006 by an international multidisciplinary group of experts with an interest in the field of wound management. The aim is to provide a steep learning curve in wound technologies to interested professionals and to offer a hands-on approach to the new solutions currently available.

The widespread international community of experts involved in the Academy offer hands-on workshops, seminars tailored to specific needs, practical training and courses. The Academy also provides developmental strategies including education plans, e-learning, telemedicine wound management and expert interactive teaching validated by accredited diplomas.

About KCI

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE:KCI) is a leading global medical technology company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of innovative, high-technology therapies and products for the wound care, tissue regeneration and therapeutic support system markets. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, KCI's success spans more than three decades and can be traced to a history deeply rooted in innovation and a passion for significantly improving the healing and the lives of patients around the world. The company employs approximately 7,100 people and markets its products in more than 20 countries. For more information about KCI and how its products are changing the practice of medicine, visit www.KCI1.com.

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